Climate Control Problems (Air Conditioning, Heat) - All Cars

bolco

My truck had the resistors burn out in the fan assembly. first, not knowing the solution I replaced the control assembly, then I replaced the resistor block by the fan. Unfortunatly, I got rid of the control assembly. I have replace it several time with the same result.
First when the unit is new, the ac compressor runs all the time independent of snowflake button. Then some thing happens (have tried several control panels with same results), and the compressor will only come one for a short period of time. I have to then turn off the ac wait, and then turn on. It will often run for 20 minutes before clicking off. I have checked the pressure switches (even disconnected/ shorted low pressure) no change. I think, either there is bad input to the control panel, or the control panel is sending bad info to the computer. I would like to know how to debug from here. thank you

johnpeter

Our 1993 Oldsmobile 88 air conditioner is not getting the air cold like it should be. It eventually starts sending out slightly cooler air - but not at all like it used to. Blower is working fine just that the air is only slightly cool and that takes a while. What is most likely the cause and any inexpensive ways to fix this?

Thanks!

burdawg

It probably has a leak and is not fully charged anymore.

imidazol97

Burdawq is probably right. There's a problem with some cars with plastic connectors causing the vacuum lines to block that control the switching of the vanes that make the air flow come out of different vents. Is the air coming out of the dash vents as strong as it used to? If air also comes out of the defroster vents at the top there's a possibility the system is charged and the air is going to the hot windshield, partly or completely.

A test for the charge is after system has been running and blower is on high speed, touch the metal line going into the air conditioner and touch the one coming out--the large can-like container that filters the freon is good. They should both be very cold. If inlet is cold but outlet is warm then you are likely undercharged.

mcm020

so what if you go to recharge it, and hook up the guage, to first test your pressure, and the guage shows your FULL. Sometimes my AC works sometimes it doesn't. It's not just when I'm moving or anything like that... I'll be driving for 20 min, then it will finally kick on. Sometimes it will kick on right when I start driving??? Please Help. 2003 FORD TAURUS.

euphorbia

I have a 2002 Olds Silhouette with front and rear air. For the past month the van sends cold air then warm air thru the ducts. I can feel the compressor cycling on and off as this happens.

I purchased a Chilton’s HVAC manual and a set of gages to diagnose the problem. The Chilton’s manual is so general that I am not getting anything from it. At 85 degrees outside, the gages indicate relatively normal low (About 32 psi) and high pressures (about 310 psi) at idle with the system on max. As I increase the throttle from about 1200 to 2000 rpm the high pressure quickly climbs to about 435 psi and the compressor shuts off. From these symptoms can anyone diagnose what is wrong with the system?

Thanks, Euphorbia

dunlap3

I am taking my truck back to dealer again this week so they can put a diagnostic tool in for me to drive around with and monitor my problem. The dealer cannot duplicate my problem and even though I have video after video of my A/C going down to 52 degrees while I drive to pick up my son at school, and then while waiting for him to get out the A/C goes up to 90 degrees, they have not tried anything to fix it,just drive it and tell me, "Your system works according to design" The problem is intermittent and is more apt to happen in 90 plus degree weather, but maybe it's just me, as G.M. has made obvious it is, but isn't the A/C going up 38 degrees at idle a bit much??? I know and G.M has told me that the A/C will go up in temp. at idle due to the fact that less air is moving across the condenser, and I know/accept that, but not 38 degrees and my '95 Astro Van has never had this problem or my '89 Toyota Truck or my '86 Chevy S-10 or my '90 Honda Accord. The only other vehicle I had that did the exact same thing was my 2003 Chevy Silverado which I lemon lawed for same exact problem which G.M. said they had never seen before and never did get it to act up as well, they just bought it back out of the goodness of their hearts.I believe that poor air flow across the condenser is the problem causing high head pressure and hot air out of ducts. I was given a 2004 Chevy 1500 Ext. Cab loaner during one of my times back for this problem. The A/C on this truck was like ICE, on a 90+ degree day. I pulled into my driveway and wanted to see what was different. This truck had 2 electric fans as opposed to a fan clutch, which makes sense as far as the poor air movement. I mentioned this to the dealer and was told that is not the problem with my truck. Hummm, they do not know what it is that is causing my problem, but do know what it isn't??? Any help would appreciated. Thanks!!! Bob

greygoose4

The a/c was working fine the other day then all of a sudden it started blowing hot air. When I came home I turned the car off and checked everything under the hood and dash. Turned the car back on and was blowing cold air. So I decided to take it for a drive and started blowing hot air. The next day I went to a automotive store to see if they could check the freon level, but they couldn't. Drove it the rest of the day and this morning a/c was blowing cold. On the way home it was blowing hot air and when I turned the car of and back on again it was cold. I am really puzzled right now and don't know what to think or do except to buy freon and charge it again. Could someone please help. Its to hot to drive without a/c. Thank you.

mogburn

Dunlap3 did you ever get the a/c issue resolved? I have a 2003 1500hd crew cab and I am having the same problem.

mogburn

Dunlap3, please let me know the outcome as I am having the exact same problem on my '03 1500hd crew cab.

Thanks,
Mark

kerryberry

Holy Cow! You sound like me. I have an 02 Yukon. Same sound and I've had 2 belts replaced and then the tenion pulley (thanks to my husband). Same sound again and I took it to a garage after the belt broke. This was monday. The garage called a dealer and they dealer told him the same thing. Huge problems with the compressors. It's going to cost anywhere from $600-$1000 to fix it. I could go without the air but I have 1 1/2 year old. This is really crappy of GM to know about this problem and not a a recall on it.

bryan

Update: The new control assembly head did not fix the problem. Took the car back and they could not duplicate the problem. I picked the car up and they had overridden the auto feature and had manual A/C (snowflake button) on. That worked for a few days, and then bam, hot air again.

Took it in for the third time; a second control assembly head was installed as per GM A/C service guru to my dealer's tech folks, there was a rash of defective controllers. Worked for a couple of days, and bam, same intermittent issue cropped up again. This time the AUTO A/C malfunctioned 7 miles from the dealer, so I drove directly there and they hooked it up to the scanner, and it got NO codes. When the tech pushed the snowflake button, the A/C came on cold. I left the car this past Monday for the 4th time (4 is my lucky number!) and asked them to keep it until they could get it to duplicate while driving. I have to say the dealer has been very very accommodating.

Anyway, spoke to them today and the dealer's a/c guru has been driving the car to/from work. It malfunctioned on him and he plugged in his scanner and this time got a code. Based on that, a relay switch was replaced, and the AUTO A/C has performed flawlessly since they say.

I pick the car up tomorrow, so we'll see. I'll let you know how it works when I return from vacation on July 10. Thanks to all for chiming in with advice and guidance.

gcheck

The Low side shows into the blue area (sufficient charge) with engine on and air off. When I turn on air the Low side test gauge goes UP into the RED and the the compressor keeps kicking out every 3-4 seconds. The more I bleed out the higher it goes into the RED. Just the opposite of what I would expect??? I am definitly on the LOW port. Makes no sense. Any ideas? Thanks.

scole

When we first turn the key on the a/c will blow air but as soon as the engine starts it quits blowing. Sometimes if it is not very hot it will work. but when it is really hot outside it quits blowing and when we are on the highway we can turn thc a/c on and we have cold air coming from the vents but the fan is not running. Any ideas on what causes this?

cindy80

I just bought a 95 Lumina. The a/c compressor will come on. The blower works. But there are two problems.
1) Going up hills or merging into traffic the air will stop blowing out the vents or defrost vent (blower still running). Have checked vacuum lines and did not find any leaks.
2) While parked or driving cool (not cold) air comes from the two a/c vents on the drivers side while hot air comes from the two on the passenger side.The car DOES NOT have the controls to adjust the temp on drivers/passenger side.

Pulled the glove box while checking the vac lines. There is a box about 8" long with an electrical connector and an assembly of vac lines on the bottom. Disconnected the connector and no air would blow from any vent (blower still running). Disconnected the vac line assembly with same results. Can not remove each line because they are all made into an assembly. My thinking is that this box is bad but what is it?

Can anyone help?

dennis1128

I own a 1994 BMW 325I convertible. I am getting a tremendous amount of water in the passenger floorboards in both the front and rear. From reading posts, I'm sure it's a drain problem, but being a conv., I'm wondering it it's more than one hose (ie the back floorboard) causing a problem. Any help in locating these hoses would be greatly appreciated.

Mr_Shiftright

You've got to check the drain for the fresh air vents (under the windshield wipers) on the passenger side. You pry up that "grate" and see if organic matter has rotted in there and plugged up the drain hole. This is pretty common on BMWs for some reason. You can test this by simply pouring some water (half a cup?) in the fresh air vent on the passeng side and seeing if it drains under the car, onto the ground, at the firewall area.

tijolo

Hello,
I have had trouble finding the problem with my new purchase. I recently had the cooling/heating system looked at. They put more freon in my ac and its working great. But, the mechanic was unable to give me an answer as to why the heater was blowing cool. I have read earlier about Mercedes having problems with their climate control switches, but I thought that mine might be different because the AC seems to be working fine. Does anybody have an idea of what may be the problem? How can I further diagnose it?
Thanks for you time.

Mr_Shiftright

Sounds like the heater valve isn't opening. I'm not sure on your model what device controls that, whether it's a vacuum servo or cable operated.

laman

My Regal is blowing warmer air on the driver side. The AC control panel has a dual control, but it's for the passenger side. This started two weeks ago and I've checked all the acuators. I would appreciate any help in diagnosing this problem.

valina

I'm having this same problem. My car has a dual control, but it is also on the passenger side. If you find out the problem please let me know

jrphillips

I am having same problem with 03 Suburban. Did you get yours fixed and what did they do to fix it?

laman

I haven't fixed it yet. I haven't had any suggestions from this forum, so I verified all of my actuators are working and I removed the two temperature control devices and controlled the flaps by hand. I'm now thinking one of the flaps is not sealing proper and is letting air from the heating core get through.

Your problem could be the same or the temperature control device. One is for the driver and the other for the passenger. It's not easy to access these in a Buick, so better luck with your vehicle.

dhagel

I have a 2003 Yukon that has been back to the dealer 6 times for a very similar problem. At idle, and the vehicle not in motion, the AC does not blow air cooler that 70+ degrees, on any day hotter than 80 degrees. Once the vehicle is in motion for some time, it blows 40 degree air. The dealer first flushed and refilled the system. No change. Second time they changed the dryer. No change. Third they changed the engine fan. No change.Fourth time they changed the condenser(A/C radiator). No change. Fifth time they said they changed the compressor. No change. The sixth time I took it to another dealer and they installed a auxillary cooling fan that blows on the condenser. Minor change, it now will blow 60+ air on a hot day. And the fan sounds like a B-52 bomber engine. I was told by the last dealer that "we had to do this before for a fussy Yukon owner". I am now in the process of taking it to a third dealer to see what can be done.

kerryberry

I bought a new ac compressor and dryer. Had it installed 7/10/06 and so far so good. No more noises and no more hard ideling at a standstill. We'll see how long it last.

valina

I carried my Buick back to the shop and it was a filter stopped up and it wasn't letting any refrigerate in. Thank you to all that e-mailed me. I'm sure there will be more problems in the future that I will need you all.

glanzerr

In my 2001 Grand Prix, the air conditioner works brilliantly on the passenger's side, but on the driver's side I'm being hit by hot air. This just started happening while I was driving yesterday. You would think it would all be coming from the same place and would be the same temperature. Maybe the climate control for the driver's side is broken somehow? Any help would be great.

dniceaz

I have a 93 full size Silverado. The problem is that it seems like my air conditioning is not blowing with the same force as it used to. It's been to the shop and they're not fixing the problem. Does anybody know what I need to do? :mad:

shark715

The A/C on my wife's '96 Explorer was not cooling as well as it used to. I also noticed that the compressor clutch seems to be engaging and disengaging much more frequently than I would expect...every 5 to 10 seconds or so. My mechanic added some refrigerant, said there were no major leaks, and did not comment on the compressor engaging/ disengaging. The A/C is working well now, but I noticed there is no change with the compressor clutch is still engaging/ disengaging as frequently as it did before. Is that normal on this truck? If no, what is likely wrong? Is it something I should have repaired, or not worry about it? The truck has 112K miles on it, but for the past few years has been driven only 2000-3000 miles per year. My wife uses the truck mostly as an inclement weather alternative to her sports car.

dbsjeep

I have a 1995 Jeep Wrangler. Summers are miserable because very hot air is always blowing out of my defrost vents on the dashboard. I consulted a mechanic, and he did not know what might be the problem. What could be the cause of this problem? I would greatly apprecaite anyone offering insight.

Mr_Shiftright

A defective heater valve would be my guess.

phuckpolitics

Please let me know if you find the culprit!!!! I have the same problem in my 1999 Regal GS, thanks )
Phuckpolitics@yahoo.com

imidazol97

I'm flying blind without a service manual for your Regal, but I assume there is some similarity but differences with the system on a LeSabre. I can only suggest that you check to see if your system is fully charged. In another discussion someone had a car which was less than fully charged and the colder part of the evaporator air went toward the passenger and the warmer part went toward the driver's vents in the dual ECC system.

You can check for charge by putting the blower on high and after a short time feel the temperatures of the inlet and outlet tubes for the evaporator in the engine compartment. In some cases you might touch the outside of the accumulator, a large tomato juice can size part near the firewall where the freon comes after leaving the inside evaporator. Have someone run the motor at about 2000 rpm and I do it in the evening when the temps are back down near 80 or less. The real method would require a fan in front of the radiator to supply air like when the car is moving.

Both of the tubes should be near the same -- cold.

If you checked actuators that move the vanes to discriminate between how the air is blended with the heater for passenger vs driver, then you need to look elsewhere.

horatio22

I drive a 1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager SE, 3.3L V6 FI.
with 167k miles. I am attempting to add refrigerant to the vehicle's AC system according to section 3-13 in Haynes Manual # 30011. However, it appears the compressor has shut itself off due to low R134a pressure. In order to recharge the system, the compressor must run. Haynes recommends pulling the the low pressure cycle plug and attaching a jumper wire. Problem is, the low pressure cycle plug is not identified anywhere in the manual. Also, where would I run a jumper from/to? I have traced the wiring in accordance with the diagram; it does not appear to match the config in my Minivan. ">

c4949s

I have a 2000 Z 71, with 191,000 miles. I pulled the air filters out and found them to be completely clogged. Not all models have these filters. If yours does it may be the problem. The filters (2) are located behind and below the dash glove box. There are 3 screws that hold a plastic cover in place on the passenger side above the floor board. You only need to remove the right and center screws and the shroud can be pulled down and forward. I believe the screws are 8 or 10 metric. You will find another bright screw that holds a narrow plastic piece in place. I believe its a 5/16. Remove this screw and the compartment cover can be pulled toward the seat to remove it. The filter is now visible, pull it out and the second filter comes into view. BE SURE TO REINSTALL FACING THE SAME DIRECTION. They are one way air flow and if you do what I did and clean and reuse you don't want the air flow forcing dirt out of the filter and into the heater coils. I should have replaced the filters but it was late on Sunday and the supply stores were closed. I beat the filters, dirty side down on the driveway and loosened the matted junk from between the pleats. I then used a shpo vac with a narrow attachment to go over each pleat fold. The result was immediate. I now had more air flow from the vent.

janine1

I have a 2001 Mazda 626 and have experienced the same problem. My parents were the only owners and said that after every winter their AC wouldn't work. They always took it to the dealership and they never could find a problem. I have since taken ownership of this vehicle. This April I had the AC looked at by the local dealership and no holes were found. They filled up the fluid and the AC worked great. This past week my AC went out again. I took it to the same dealership in hopes of this service being free since it was less than three months ago- no such luck. They did find the leak this time. It was in my evaporator which I was told is in my dashboard. They are repairing it today for a costly fee of $560. You may want them to check out this part of the car.

lnav

Idle drops to nearly stalling when the a/c is turned on. Car will shake then return to somewhat normal after its turned off. Personally I feel the idle is too low, but even after adjustments it reverts back to what it wants. Thus stalling when a/c is on. Any ideas???? Thanks

sedenjeep

Can a fuse relay go bad after installing a new engine? I have 99 Jeep grand Cherokee. I had the battery replaced a few weeks ago. Then a week after that the water pump broke and I ended up having to replace the engine. After they replaced the engine, my AC worked 1 time, then quit working. i took it back to the shop and they said it was the fan relay so they changed that. And it worked 1 time again and quit working. Can the fan relay going bad be related to replacing the engine in the first place? I asked them but they said no but at this point I do NOT trust them.
What would cause the fan relay to keep going out?

jaypel

HI, i am having sample problem! Did you fix yours?

jaypel

well still on going. I have now had my car at dealer for 2days, THey have replaced the Climate door (valve) but this did not seem to work. See what happens today, Any news on yours?

emt

1996 camry. Air has been working great and I have never had a problem with it. Last week the air was working fine, it did not seem to be as cold as I thought it should be, but it was 95 degrees in the shade with 100% humidity, so I thought that might be why. I stopped and shut the car off for about 10 minutes and when I started out again, the air was hot as could be. The next day, the air was working fine and again, after running awhile, I got hot air again. Today I put the gauges on the system and was reading around 45 on the low side and around 275 or so on the high side. Also, looking at the sight glass there was a nice steady milky white stream and the air was working fine. Nice and cold. After about 15 minutes the low side was reading very low, the high side went up about 50 and no more milky white stream in the sight glass and the air was hot. Compressor clutch was pulled in. I thought I might have had a low charge but the initial readings say I do not. Any ideas?? I'm puzzled. Of course I don't claim to be an air conditioning expert either.

srainbolt

94 Isuzu Tropper. One minute the air conditioner is working fine the next minute it stopped. The compressor is not engaging. Checked the fuses and they are fine (One can hope that was the problem). Appreciate any suggestions.

valina

I am now having the same problem. If you find out what it is please let me know.

Mr_Shiftright

Sounds like low on refrigerant, and pressure switch shuts off compressor. This is done to protect the compressor from damage.

srainbolt

Low on refrigerant is certainly a possibility which I guess would imply a leak some place. Could low refrigerant be the case when it was sending reasonably cool air and almost instantly turned to hot air?

vtafoya

Did you receive any response to this? I've having the EXACT problem!

daphelps

I have a very similar problem with a 2002 Explorer Sport Trac. The air works fine in the back, but it only blows sometimes in the front.

daphelps

c'mon peeps. lets get some help up in here.

whitehorse

i have the same problem as well. im taking it up to this guy and hope for the best please let us know what u figure out and i promise to do the same

jaypel

took mine in and looks to be a freon problem but they did replace the shutter door valve as well